Live-tweeting as part of a community also allows participants to feel that they are taking part in the meeting – rather than just being passive recipients of information. It is during the informal information exchange between people that the real learning resonances and cementing of useful information takes place.

I completely agree that social media is probably the most accessible way to enhance learning at medical meetings, as users move from being a passive attendee of a lecture to an active participant. Being active in the conversation amplies the benefits of the meeting by bringing you to a higher cognitive level of learning.

The #ACR13 Tweetups went extremely well, and I’m very happy that so many people were able to make it. Since the goal of the Tweetups were to get people to connect, my request is for anyone that attended to make a point to follow up with someone you met in person. As I mentioned, each time this has led me to interesting things, and my hope is it will do the same for others.

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The first gathering was Sunday evening at an Irish-style pub called Hennessey’s Tavern, with about 20 attendees.